Sparks of Light

This seems to be the season for spiky purple plants in my garden -- salvia, sage, lavender, hyssop, butterfly bush. The butterflies are loving it. While the overall effect is spires of purple, when you focus in on the shapes of the individual blossoms, what a variety of shapes!

Butterfly bush has a fanfare of trumpets with fire at their hearts -- and the underside of this swallowtail butterfly echoes the fire with its own refrain of orange and blue.

Salvia's jester caps

Anise hyssop in sunshine and shadow

Fragrant lavender

Apparently this is not the hyssop that they suggest planting with cabbage, so as to deter Cabbage White butterflies.